A song cycle tackling identity, racism, sexism, gender politics and more, Freetown Sound is a hurricane of ideas cushioned within Blood Orange’s quiet storm of sounds.
22, A Million is a progressive and standalone album full of deep emotions and clever ingenuity.
The two things that will stay with you from You Want It Darker are the incomparable songwriting (to be expected), and the national treasure that is Cohen’s voice.
Simultaneously eulogy, love song, and meditation on trauma, it often feels like Cave is grasping for air, especially near the midpoints of the album, where the sadness seems almost insurmountable.
It goes without saying that Blackstar isn’t the kind of epochdefining masterpiece that Bowie built his career upon a few years ago. That being said, it does return the songwriter to the unpredictable excitement of that earlier time.